RUI: Novel Phenomena in Photonic Structures Induced with Engineered Coupling

作为渐变耦合的一维和二维波导的周期性阵列，引起的微小的折射率变化已经成为探索光学以外的许多现象的平台。在这项研究项目中，我们正在研究特殊设计的工程耦合光子结构中的一些基本问题和新现象，包括通过相干破坏隧道效应来抑制光隧穿和图像传输，负耦合和相关现象，蜂窝光子晶格和超晶格中的Shockley类表面态和拓扑诱导的表面态，以及无序晶格中的带隙现象和光传输。这个项目是在可重构周期结构的光学环境下进行的，特别是具有耦合或纵向调制智能设计的光致2D晶格和3D光子晶格。尽管在简单的光学环境下进行，但这项研究有望对其他科学领域产生直接影响，从固体物理到光子晶体，从流体力学到原子物理，如捕获在周期势中的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体。该项目的一个主要重点是指导本科生，特别是那些来自旧金山湾区种族多元化的学生。这项工作的一个强有力的教育组成部分是，研究项目被用作一种教学和发现的形式，学生们积极参与学习研究方法，分享发现和解释。

Small refractive-index variations induced as periodic arrays of evanescently coupled 1D and 2D waveguides have served as a platform for exploring many phenomena beyond optics. In this RUI research project, some fundamental issues and novel phenomena in specially-designed photonic structures with engineered coupling are being studied, including light tunneling inhibition and image transmission via coherent destruction of tunneling, negative coupling and associated phenomena, Shockley-like and topologically induced surface states in honey-comb photonic lattices and superlattices, and bandgap phenomena and light transport in disordered lattices. This project is being carried out in an optical setting of reconfigurable periodic structures, especially optically induced 2D lattices with intelligent design of coupling or longitudinal modulation and 3D photonic lattices.Although performed in a simple optical setting, the research are expected to have direct impact on other areas of sciences, ranging from solid state physics to photonic crystals, and from hydrodynamics to atomic physics such as Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in periodic potentials. A major emphasis of this project is placed on mentoring undergraduate students, particularly those from the ethnically diverse San Francisco Bay Area population. A strong educational component of this work is that the research project is being used as a form of teaching as well as discovery, and the students are actively involved in learning research methods and in sharing discoveries and interpretations.